DIY branding iron - cutting aluminium with a Dremel

[Sawdust=manglitter]

I fancy making my own branding iron (maybe a couple of sizes) to use on completed projects.

I saw the below video on the tube of a guy using a dremel to cut the aluminium to the shape of his design...
https://youtu.be/oV183DxKgg8

My question is, does anyone have experience or can recomend the best bits to use in the dremel for cutting aluminium (obviously a little at a time)? Ideally I'll need a larger bit to hog out most waste and tidy open areas, i'll need a smaller/pointy bit to tidy up sharp corners and a more general not as small bit for the majority of the shaping.

Would the cheap readily available Chinese HSS bits on eBay suffice?

When I get round to starting the branding iron I may do a WIP if anyone was interested.

 

[Rorschach]

Will aluminium get hot enough for branding?

 

[NazNomad]

Will aluminium get hot enough for branding?

Plenty hot enough, but it won't retain heat for long.

 

[Rorschach]

Will aluminium get hot enough for branding?

Plenty hot enough, but it won't retain heat for long.

Good to know, I imagine you would need to be careful with your heat source, I have accidentally melted aluminium several times in the past.

 

[bugbear]

Will aluminium get hot enough for branding?

Plenty hot enough, but it won't retain heat for long.

Good to know, I imagine you would need to be careful with your heat source, I have accidentally melted aluminium several times in the past.

A quick Google, and:

Aluminium/Melting point : 660 °C

Autoignition point of wood is 300ºC.

BugBear

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

Plenty hot enough, but it won't retain heat for long.

I'd imagine that the aluminium not retaining heat for long may be an advantage, safety wise

 

[dickm]

Bit larger and more rough and ready, but I've used a cheapo set of diamond burrs from Proops (think it was) to cut lettering in slate. They come in a variety of shapes and don't last that long, but enough to do two or three house name signs in slate.

 

[monkeybiter]

You could probably grind a couple of simple engraving chisels from masonry nails, Aluminium is certainly soft enough to work fairly easily.

 

[Droogs]

Shaping shouldn't be difficult the only real big safety rule to remember is that unlike iron, aluminium does not change colour as it gets hotter, so you can never be sure it's at a safe temperature to touch if you've been using it as an iron.

 

[novocaine]

electro etching in a salt bath, so much easier than trying to cut your own with a dremal and much neater.

basically you cut your design in sticky backed vinyl (a scalpel will help here), apply to a piece of steel and mask off everything else that you don't want etching.
attach the positive to your piece and the negative to another piece of metal (for small stuff I use a stanley knife blade).
put them in a bath of salt water (add salt till you can't add anymore) and attach the leads to a 9v battery. leave it for an hour or so, but keep checking on it (think mine took 40 minutes), it will undercut a bit but for an iron it'll be fine.

don't let the bits touch in the bath and make sure the face you want to etch is opposite the negative (anode).

I did have a load of pictures of this, but they are on photobucket, google electro etching for more information.

heres mine
Worked this time. by David Rees, on Flickr

EDIT to add, invert your design. don't ask why I know this is very very important.

need a new one now but it's not hard to do another one.

 

[AES]

An old trick when heating ali - apply a coating of soap (bar type, a bit soft & wet). When heating up, when the soap turns brown, do NOT heat any more.

if you have a friendly dentist, his carbide-tipped dental burrs work great on ali. You need a lubricant (WD 40 or paraffin), and high rpm on the Dremel, clearing the swarf/dust regularly.

HTH

AES

 

[bugbear]

electro etching in a salt bath, so much easier than trying to cut your own with a dremal and much neater.

basically you cut your design in sticky backed vinyl (a scalpel will help here), apply to a piece of steel and mask off everything else that you don't want etching.

I think (some) sign writing shops can cut vinyl using a 2D plotter.

Add this to your suggestion, and we've got (cheap-ish) computer
cut heat stamps.

BugBear

 

[novocaine]

electro etching in a salt bath, so much easier than trying to cut your own with a dremal and much neater.

basically you cut your design in sticky backed vinyl (a scalpel will help here), apply to a piece of steel and mask off everything else that you don't want etching.

I think (some) sign writing shops can cut vinyl using a 2D plotter.

Add this to your suggestion, and we've got (cheap-ish) computer
cut heat stamps.

BugBear

I have a vinyl cutter, so for me it was easy, but I can do it buy hand too for those that don't have that luxury.

yes though, they can do it.